Weighted Blankets Can Alleviate Anxiety in the Hospital

Hospitals can be scary places. Anxiety can interfere with people understanding what interventions are being proposed and why. On the other hand, the usual treatments for anxiety, benzodiazepines, have undesired effects and could make a hospital stay riskier. A new pilot study suggests that a very simple and familiar nondrug tactic can alleviate anxiety for patients (American Journal of Critical Care, Sept. 1, 2026). Weighted blankets can help ease patients anxiety quickly.

How to Study Weighted Blankets

The researchers, who are critical care nurses, noted that weighted blankets are said to “bring calm and promote sleep.” After all, generations of grandmothers have offered warm quilts to help people feeling ill or stressed. Moreover, hefty blankets have become popular in homes, particularly for individuals on the autism spectrum or those with a tendency to feel anxious. Such bed coverings are not standard in hospitals, however, so the investigators decided to put 15-pound blankets to the test.

The nurses randomly assigned 54 anxious patients to receive either a weighted blanket for 20 minutes followed by usual care or usual care for 20 minutes followed by a weighted blanket for 20 minutes. They assessed patients’ anxiety three times during the hour.

This assessment shows that, on average, anxiety dropped almost 4 points on a 10 point scale after patients experienced weighted blankets. The calming effect lasted even after the blanket was removed.

According to the scientists,

“This study demonstrated that use of a weighted blanket is an effective nonpharmacologic therapeutic intervention for hospitalized patients experiencing anxiety.”

Downsides of Weighted Blankets

Between 80 and 90 percent of the participants in the study found the weighted blankets comforting. However, some volunteers reported that they became uncomfortably warm. A total of 33 percent felt that the weight was excessive. Hospitals planning to utilize this intervention might need to experiment to find blankets that are helpful to the most anxious patients.